Product category:
Gears, brakes, couplings and engines
News Release from: Ruland Manufacturing Co | Subject: Ruland oldham couplings
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 02 August 2007
Couplings tolerate misalignment
Ruland's oldham couplings can cope with a large amount of parallel misalignment and allow easy component removal for cleaning.
Ruland offers oldham couplings that accommodate large amounts of parallel misalignment Applications for oldham couplings include encoders, positioning systems using servo and stepper motors, and other light duty drives
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 15 Jul 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Beam couplings accommodate misalignment
Beam-style couplings are one-piece aluminium or stainless-steel components, which incorporate spiral cuts to accommodate angular misalignment, parallel misalignment and axial motion.
The "third way" to rigid couplings
Nomar rigid shaft couplings are available in a three-piece design by special order.
They are also useful in applications where easy component removal for cleaning is desired.
In higher rev/min applications, the couplings feature a balanced design for reduced vibration.
Oldham couplings are a three-piece design comprised of two hubs and a floating centre disc.
The centre disc, which is available in acetal for high torsional stiffness, or nylon for shock absorption and vibration dampening, is the torque transmitting element.
Torque transmission is accomplished by mating slots in the centre disc with the drive tenons on the hubs.
The slots fit with a slight press fit, are on opposite sides of the disc and are oriented 90 degrees apart.
The press fit allows the coupling with acetal disc to operate with zero backlash.
In operation, the centre disc slides on the tenon of the hub to accommodate misalignment.
There are many advantages to oldham couplings, but the most distinctive feature is the ability to accommodate large amounts of parallel misalignment with light bearing loads.
This is especially important for protecting delicate bearings or seals and in applications where it is not practical to closely control parallel misalignment during the assembly process.
In addition to the large parallel offset capabilities, oldham couplings accommodate small amounts of angular misalignment and axial motion.
Oldham couplings also have the advantage of electrical isolation, relatively low cost, and mechanical fuse properties - since the coupling disengages if the replaceable centre disc breaks.
Ruland oldham couplings are offered in seven sizes of set screw or clamp style hubs with bores from 3 to 57mm.
The hubs are anodised for improved lubricity and increased life.
Oldham couplings are part of Ruland's complete product line which includes shaft collars, rigid couplings with precision honed bores and five types of zero-backlash motion control couplings: beam couplings, bellows couplings, oldham couplings, miniature disc couplings and curved jaw couplings.
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